Data Controller

The Data Controller is the University of Bath. Our Registration Number in the Data Protection Public Register is Z6290890. Our Data Protection Officer is Samuel Sherry, who can be contacted at Risk, Resilience & Compliance, Wessex House Level 8, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY or via email at dataprotection@bath.ac.uk.

Overview

The University is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Data Protection Act. This Privacy Notice explains how your personal information is processed and used by the International Relations Office, and for what purposes it is held.

Why do we collect your information?

The International Relations Office supports the University by cultivating long-term relationships with its international network of partners, exchange and visiting students, and other stakeholders.

Collecting your information helps to inform our partnership activity, allows us to provide a service to our visiting and exchange students, and enables us to support the University.

The International Relations Office also holds personal data on University of Bath students who apply for mobility funding schemes. We are required to collect this and retain for the issuing of mobility funding and for a defined period after the end of each project for auditing purposes. It will never be used for any other purpose.

Legal basis for processing your data

The University of Bath’s mission is to deliver world class research and teaching, educate its students to become future leaders and innovators, and to benefit the wider population through its research, enterprise and influence. In furtherance of that mission, its key objective is to deliver excellence in its two primary charitable purposes, research and education.

The International Relations Office processes the information of partners, students and other stakeholders in pursuit of its legitimate interests in - furthering the reach and reputation of the University globally - helping the University to further its mission and to achieve its charitable purposes.

What information do we hold and where has it come from?

To fulfil the purposes outlined above, the International Relations Office has a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, which holds password protected personal data collected by the University during its relationship with all its external stakeholders. We also store relevant student data. The CRM and files are hosted securely with password protected files. Further information about our security arrangements can be provided on request.

Most of the information we hold is obtained directly from yourself or University of Bath staff. Some information may also have been obtained from publicly available sources in order to maintain the accuracy of the information listed above, to undertake due diligence, and for partnership purposes.

Personal information may include:

Personal identifiers consisting of your name, title, place of work
Your contact details including work addresses, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers
Information about your affinity to the University and engagement with University communications
Your communication preferences
Records of your attendance at University events
Notes about collaboration that you have with University staff

Types of data we hold and relevant University privacy notices

How do we use your data?

We use your data for international relations activities including:

Sending you newsletters
Inviting you to relevant University events
Conducting surveys, including feedback about the students’ experience on exchange at University of Bath, about events
Submitting nominations for university ranking surveys
Internal record keeping, including the management of agreements
Administrative purposes (e.g. to nominate students, administer funding and to record event registrations)

Digital tools and analysis may be used to help us improve the effectiveness of the University’s communications with you, including tracking whether e-mails we send are opened and which links are clicked within a message.

We undertake data analysis projects to ensure that our communications are tailored and engaging.

We follow due diligence procedures to comply with anti-money laundering laws and regulations.

We are committed to protecting your data and will not disclose it to third parties other than those acting as agents for the University under strictly controlled contracts. Some examples include sponsor organisations, partner universities and sector organisations. Any transfers of data to such agents will be done securely and in compliance with the Data Protection Act.

Any transfers of your data overseas (outside the EEA), for example to a sponsor organisation or partner university, are protected by an International Data Transfer Agreement.

You can amend the information we hold about you at any time by emailing, bath.international@bath.ac.uk. You can also use these contact details to update your communication preferences.

Data retention

We will hold your data for the length of our active relationship and for a short period afterwards in support of relevant auditing processes, or until you ask us to do otherwise. If you choose to exercise your right to erasure, we will retain only a core set of personal data including your name, subjects studied, graduation details, date of birth, and unique identification number. This limited information is kept solely to prevent any inadvertent future contact and to maintain an accurate archive of your educational records.

We will always respect a request by you to stop contact by any or all methods of communication, or for any specific purpose.

Your rights and changes to this policy

You have the right to:

Access the personal data which the University holds about you. This is called a Subject Access Request and must be made to the Data Protection Officer whose contact details are provided at the top of this Privacy Notice
Have your personal data rectified if it is inaccurate or incomplete
Request that we remove your personal data (other than name, subject(s) studied, graduation details, and date of birth)
Restrict the processing of your personal data, for example, ask us not to contact you
Object to the processing of your data for specific purposes such as communications or direct marketing
Ask for the transfer of your data electronically to a third party (data portability)
Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office

The University of Bath will never sell your data. We will also never share your data with anyone to use for their own purposes unless disclosure is permitted or required by law.

Any breach of the Data Protection Act by the International Relations Office will be reported to the University’s Data Protection team in accordance with the University’s Data Protection Policy.

This Privacy Notice was approved by the Data Protection Officer and updated in June 2025. It will be reviewed annually, and we will publish any changes we make to the Privacy Notice on our website.

Further information on the University’s policies in relation to Data Protection

Contact

International Relations Office, 10 West, 4.02, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY.

University of Bath International Relations Office Privacy Notice

The International Relations Office's Privacy Notice for university partners, exchange and visiting students, and friends.